Jed Weisberger: Mets Will Be Fine With Santos as a Starter
...it’s not his offense the team is concerned about, it’s what he does behind the plate, though… i agree with most people who voted in yesterday’s poll, i prefer Rob Barajas and Henry Blanco…
They will be fine with Santos and Blanco for the year. Then it is Thole time…….
Well, if the team is so concerned with game calling, then they should look back at the last few years and see where having a supposed expert at game calling got them. Brian Schneider was a disappointment to say the least, and I’m not talking about offensively.
Is catcher than much of a concern? This isn’t fantasy baseball. No one is like the Skankees, with an all-star at almost every position.
If the Mets go with what they have … and don’t win … catching will not be the reason they lose.
Keys to the season are health in general, starting pitcher, Reyes, Wright, Beltran, if Murphy will hit enough to play 1B, starting pitching, the bullpen, starting pitching … Did I mention starting pitching.
Does anyone really think the Mets wil miss the playoffs by only a few games and we’ll be saying, “Gee, if we only had Barajas” ?
can someone tell me why most of the Mets fan base is so eager to give players from the minors or called up recently starting jobs, when if these same players were free agents you wouldnt want these same players. I guess my point is, its great to love your prospects for the future, but lets be fair how many actually make it. I read comments from many on here what the team will look like in a couple of years with 1B Davis, 2B Havens C Thole F mart in CF, Murphy somewhere and the rotation having Holt, Mejia, and Gee in it, I dont want to burst everyone’s bubble here, but not every prospect is good nor will make the team and stay there consistently. Its like everyone is so starved for home grown guys they give them all passes, how is Santos so good? cause he hit a HR off of Papelbon? he is just about 30 so he is not a spring chicken, and Thole who sure could be good, but thats the point could be, what have we really seen from him, he played 17 games. Im not saying he wont be good or great I am just saying we dont know yet.
If the Mets were a team that consistently produced good to very good major league players, I can see being more confident, but there has been a lot of busts over the years. Every team has busts for sure, but when was the last power hitter to come up as a Met and stay there, Strawberry that was almost 20 years ago, when was the last ace pitcher to come through the system, Gooden? also the same time. Yes Wright and Reyes have turned into all stars and fan favorites but I could also list about 40 prospects cant miss people that never made it here or anywhere. My point is lets wait to see how a lot of these players really are when they spend a lot of time in the majors, could they be good, yes is there a chance a lot of them flop, of course thats the nature of the business but lets just not think all of them are anything they are not yet. I am more of show me something here than in AA, AAA or foreign leagues. Until I get to see them do it with my own eyes and consistently I am not willing to give any of these people future jobs until they earn it, but thats just me
Good Post. Too many seeing through rose colored lenses on this site. Barajas would be an upgrade, but all of the apologists want to say only get a player if he’s a st*ud or a hug upgrade. What these people fail to realize is that if you improved slighty, but do it at numerous positions the sum of those moves could add up to be somewhat significant. Instead our GM just sits on his hands. What’s the point of getting aggravated anyway. We’re a small market team now, we’re broke. Not getting anybody else.
I don’t think anyone is against upgrading. And the upgarde does not need to be a stud.
But Omar (hint: Jeff Wilpon) seems to only be able to work on one thing at a time. So if the Mets are going to work on an updgrade, I think I was trying to suggest it be in the pitching staff.
Is Barajas that much of an upgrade. He did hit 19 HR’s, right? But didn’t he also bat under .220 ? Is he supposed to be a gold glover … I don’t think so.
I am a Murphy fan. But if you tell me that Russell Branyon or Jermaine Dye or even Marv Throneberry will play a better defensive 1B and will provide 25-ish HR’s … then that’s an upgrade and you can make a case for that move.
If you say that Adam Kennedy would be an upgrade over Frank Catalanotto, I’d say why bother. The 25th man on the roster is likely to be waived once Beltran comes off the DL.
It is a matter of where the Mets spend their time. Rather than trying to slightly upgrade catcher, I’d rather see them spend time (even if it it fruitless) working trade possibilities for a starting pitcher. If the Mets do poorly this year, I think it is much more likely that pitching will be the primary cause than catching
We’re broke obv = total sarcasm – Maybe others buy this crap but not me.
Uh…blanco and Coste are AAA guys at best. In fact, when both were signed we all thought they were for minor league depth, and maybe the occasional fill-in. Santos wad hot for like a month and other than that looked like the career minor leaguer he is. Thole is converted to catcher, shows no evidence of power, and is a long shot to be much at all. (I LOVE all the excitement about him and Davis — who NO ONE project to be more than adequate major leaguers.)
Not sure the answer as there aren’t many Mauers out there…but I’m guessing doing absolutely nothing won’t prove to have been the answer!! (As with pitching and first base…….)